The Sun. — London, England, 1810-02-27 00:00:00

reas° .?C0 1 " jog 11.5c e W that a to /3 tle - ~.~~ly e ral , DaV 3 P• the. wart"' 3r the t ;05 er, the ;c1 uner" o ,als ax Do' ilitar 5337 1 :, a anui. Lse 9f easse• aimed toner* e At 5 0 1 ,y the a ter' ~ 0 001•. cre,os° twic e the >in the In the c. ,u 0 i°ll ;year being Alifori A A dri [j th pr )DCI. reSrt't „ a id Of 011 ' lnd e3S - 112 j San),4 I 10 ue, woof wooiv :e w i th e abeci : as i IL) • trad e ed th at je tiotl tligc : 30 11. t -3, oil , 4)ivelY aid bo • c 0-0 - tionP i whet', stove' - ,nergY sbOnt'' igt •ow Jlatio n bot Cut)' WOO Ind the ;;:t, ,3 ) 11 g 'th e iar s 04 , Jakir 4 for r i'''' not to sa'd that Government had=heen inat \ ‘:',.. - . v 7 t c ,, a.y of the points referred to by his Noble ‘-‘l' who poke last. It was. no doubt the easiest \'''))'; in tad iT to • produce, economy, .to do entirely ' ' ll Y' s uc'h 1 arts of a system ' - as seemed to require 'b i 4 4 • 1 ''gment ; 'but he conceived that ought - 401 - wit h t aution Ln t'd G. L..Gowsa explained.- ''•' .. of. t`(leneral ARLETO, alluding to an observati o n • N bl T ISTe Lord (G . L; Gower), asked wby h e sh eu ld . ssha.ned to hold a - situation atter having been i 34 Yat's in the service ? He had been second in com i i t i', 46 ,d hi -Ireland, and after gaining the good- will o k), itiliabitant4, had been Sent into inactivity, thei t e o - S); as ht conceived it, b ilia disgraced, and sent eri a. tc,11:‘,!1.,• HusicassoNT expresced the reluctance ,which -*.-1 1 - ''' - - . • the presence of i , t 1 addressing the Hou,s-- In tt ) : I . n Y Mnbers who Were much more coMpe-.. ial---to discuss the subject than inmself,---a re f ue l; ti tle " creased. by the becessity under which he f e lt . i,; 11 self to differ in some points, from his Right Hon : thi s nd• Hetrusied;howeyp • r, that notwithstanding Li 7 l'rtiAi di ff erence of opinioa, the sincerity : ? t. . res attachment to his' Right Ben. Friend would to umlueStioned. ' Doing every possible. justice.. Ithoe.stataeteau3biiity displayed by the Noble • 1 -." rd .' n e nt which he had that evening made, he , 4infessed that in that statenteet the we* somew hat wr.PPo:iitd as it did not realize all the expectat io ns i di m" I te had entertained. ' He bad na difficu ty inst*rlY to declare that he considered a diminution 84bOlat aiLitary expenditUre essetitial if not indispe- s h e ~Lt n the existence.Of the country. .l'o prove t ie ., ,. sit -c'uld eater into a consideration oft he Commerc ial co tiatio n c , i °. tile Conatry. Afters statement ,of th h e tt i l l ' o l is _ anv ,e annual exenditure for several years past,- Iti i r -ee `tel to - deta il-the amount of th e taxatio i n. t 7 782 the ahnual taxes ' were 'tea millions. n a 42 the Y were fi fteen . millions. In 180 I si til z °ll 9te(i to I it „ thirty millions, and in 1809, they were they• a six ty nt",tons. It -appeared, therefore, that the' tw rn°- t ti t t °I the taxes was six times', what it was teeen-;'''se'ren years ago, lour times what it was six t''' n 'l t ' ars ago, and double what it was ; eight years atl (? ) , '0 taxation, However, as to every thing else, s e ,,;'" l4 s allow that there were. limits. Toe pre car - r i e , L t , es . on consumption ,were, he resume d , p dir t o- y " far as they could well be carried. increase, alu m ' ta es would perhaps admit of some to "Nit they were nine times as t0tt,,93. Still ; if the -great as they were diaictriti p es resent expenditure we re i - ech, - ,l 4e d , ' our must multiply, and le co tli ,'ii v ed that ' the greatest danger to which the Th - i i ,Y was exposed, Was a failure in its tivances . .- 7 of e best mo de of counteracting evil, as in the affa i rs torLyrtrate individual, was not to shrink trom te 1 Y .--41Plat i° 11 of the danger, but to took it bo ld- oni7lieabs to avert it. bea l i t ': t he lace . for the purpose of adopting 'be In ibis point of view, it i te s 4 i be well'to inquire whether any tonventences ! the ut. : 4l ,g IrOin a reduction' of our tniiitary establish the rl f — qtn not be more than.ceumer- balanced by tuell'alancial advantages that wou.d accrue fro i tu kad e a vedodion. '..ln bupilort -of this opinion, h e (l itter -- a cd n l Parison of the various amoun t ; toot ttil: Pre se ,T, lt :arm) estimates from the year 180 . ' t icki ' farm) At the present time the satue_prepd;aas expeet°ntinued that Was. made when 'the enemy arn ol , e d on our shores from week 'to week. In t he t nal - , -.1 , 4 ' uf the 'Staff this was peculiarly to be re. Ran t 7- 1., 1801, when the French threatened in. R e ne Ir . 1 : va si 0 n , and when Iluonaparte had anot her fo r ' n c ontend With; the whole expence Of the a °l ' i t as 85,0001. This year, when the necessity 28 6 1 , i s Certainly 110 t so great, it amounted to lire:;7 l . The whole of' our regular force at the to e i; nionient was about 270,000 men. Allow -180 cLe o sti tird to be inetreatlal, there would remain ul.tii3()l,-° r egular troops for the dektice of the 4 00 n' With the-Militia, the Local Militia, &c. tian'nZirnen might immediately' be called into ac. vas 0,,, W hen the usual force of 'the country '4 t l elel;is'dered, and the 'various obstacles with which v , a siorl e 7 4 37 w °tlld have to contend in an attempt at in iurce" ' z " "PPeared. to him that a great part of this. caur it tll 'ght be dipensed with, and the security , of the , t ,:' wh r , ) ,. h re m,„ ain undiminished. There was • one point m oo f . - 4 ne wished Particularly' to Call the atteu totlio,, the EXecutie Government. He did not wish t iut c r o ,, w out-any invidious imputation; but he did l 'ere, - „" e , e ive that the di ff erent military departments tlepa ""iently superintended. The effOrts of each ilietortrnti"ct were carried beyond the necessity for owner, de n ''' in building a 'mansion, t he _, kr ip f t ,„ an Y Plan, left his wortmen of every ue °l sca nt, to follow each his own idea of strength, t li4 e n t- Y, or u sefulness, his materials would prove - In ent and 1 • edifice become disproportion -I,N ~? his , illustration, lie • a e cavalry, for the sake of oak a .•}:thef PYla4n e Z e s d i‘ i l e e. r r n ab i le 'redttaion might be made. - lil - 1 1 ' 35 : buying horses at two ears was fUr by the "titue they were ° lte ° i t service, their keepieg would cost at least. tii l l : ena d cl re ': and fifty pounds. It had been de 41' hi 1,- i ti ' gh military authorities that ie case . o f . k ri o V f asioi l I it would probably take place in a ate °f The the country in which cavalry could not lqedL su.perahundance of the . cavalry was coo l‘v • u Y the Noble Lord in his admission that it 1,,, 11111)ra6iicabiC to procure horses for them all* i lqii e w h° were not mounted must necessarily- be at'°ltledielit:t. we re (Mr. H.) wished that the cavalry (t wei * " reduced from their piesent 'number • 14).11)16%4 thousand) to 'the number in . which ceettectOhsereatious :if lle tjtj uld 'be kept in an efficient state. After on the Manx Fencibles, he pro 'trili t° Particularize the excess of the Staff in Great '`,:trai n ,In Scotland-there were 't t „Generals to lt r'et.•,,''' 1 r,ooo' men, Nor was' he aware of the t..0114ty• f or . any Staff in the Middlesex dis.trict, `ltlar ( J: n , as he. did, that the large'Staffat head t,trint of- shit be amply sufficiek for the govern .. 44 ' -.11 di Stilet• Adverting to the dissatisfaifuion -, es aea , ‘ 't : h e r d ' ' Ll:a gallant General at the situation which • ~:,ssea- „!' a•Corritnander of a District, lie con : 4 (Th t : tat , he thought - his - Majesty's Govern t'ice‘h -n gitt to relieYe that g . allant . General froth tai ri, al Provbeation. With resped to the waggon ' 1 44. .' c agreed entirely with that gallant Ge ainto;,stit his opinion of them. - They • were an ho t ,, e ' tt lei! :in foreign ' .service, and useless at: ' t4 e t ,',. - '' A titr stating various other modes in which , ' lv aili ' ; l , t ' ll. ,.) . ' e l 4P"~--kditure of the. country might be 1;Q : •,. „ .. , ' - oki'2 , iy " eurtaileel, lie obserVed, that some l, ''Ji tni-is t . t , •, 1.1 ~1 6 i aiok ' ' i;: s lr . . that, the suggestions whiCp . he * . ii; - 0 oat. wire the reSult of sons" political.. cr slid that other-Migh-t think, that if he enter- .. • . , . rt " l'i , e • tam ed those opinions formerly, he-ought formeey, to bpi expressed them in the Hous e. The opinions ; which..he had, just stated, he 'had always enter tained ; but when in office he had consider. d it his duty. to' . state them .only to his superiors, con vitice-i as. he was thatthe revision and retrenchment which appeared ..to him so desirable could. be effe4t ed by the Executive Government alone. Burma parte had, in a late public document, anticipated an ,existence of 30 years. He (Mr: H,.)- was an'xious that every means should be. adopted to enable 'cleat Britain, to maintain the contest fOr that period, if•ne cessary, and thus to preserve bad secure her rude- prudence., • . Mr.-WINDHAM spoke in favour of retrencliThent „ in the public expenzlinre. _ "Sir. ROSE cone 'red with: the Ricrlit-.ll.;arituable •Qentlenyin who spoke last, in his notions ut eco nonly, but contended that it required a. judicious and delicate hand to prune, or curtail the public expenditure, •without injuring the, vital strength of • the country. He er4ered.' on ,an able defence of those to whom this part 9f the public expenditure bad been entrusted, and deduced, from contrasting • the estimates of the .present- year, with those of former years, than from the arrangements ,recently adopted - and devised, there had not been a 'filitliing unnecessarily or improvidently spent. Mr. Secretary RYDER pointed out various eco nomical regulations. which have taken .pface-in the organization of that part of the national force called the Loral Militia, since last year, and .rnest satis faaorily convinced the Committee, that the ex.- pence of that force, which atneuhted to soiktu thing more than one million per annum, was now . reduced, by the. arrangements' alluded to, to less than 800,0001. 1 Mr. P. Mooaa said a few words.. Lord TEMPLE asked what security would be given to the country.by thepersons who hail accepted ap poiniments uizder the .newly-regUlated Medical Staff, for the performance of their 'duties ? anthse- cont:ly, Whethei those who constitu ed_t he Medical.: Board, and those whose.coudgEt had been so inju rious to the public service, were suffered to retire on their full pay ? • The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, be could not but be dispostelto find some fault with : the abruptness of the Noble Lord's imerroga lions to his Noble Friend, who could hardly be expeeted at that precise moment to give, distind answers. As far, however, as it was in his (Mr. Perceval's) own power, he .would satisfy the Noble Lord. The first of the Noble Lord's quest:lol,s waa certainly a very, singular one. ." What kind of se curity," he asked, " would the Noble Lord require of Oche persons who composed the Medical . Staff, for the performance of their duty ?" For his own part, .he could only say, that every attention would be paid to the seleCtion of such persons only as were of approved experience, and scientific know ledge in their profession, to fill the situations, and this was - all that could be expeCted of those to whom the appointment of such persons should be entrusted. With resped to the ether question; all he had to say was, that the conduEt ofbis Majesty's Exectstive Govt - sitc. - ent in, s ale par ticular alluded to, was • guided. by long estabiished regulations of the then existing Medical Board, and Government did tnink it would have been rather hard to turn persons adrift upon the world, without some reward for. past se: 'ices ". Mr. IVAauLF. took a view olmany of the iitems in the estimate before the Committie, almost all.of which had occupied his consideration before in the last Session ; and concluded by expressing a fervent hope that the Coinmittee would make a stand : against some of the most oppres;iVe. ' Sir JAMES PULTENEY repred to the. last speaker at some length, and represented to the Committee in the most satitactory terms, (hat many of the abuses of which he complained, were actually reformed, or in a state of reformation. ' Me. PAIttsTEL spoke against the Estimate relating to the Waggon Train in Ireland. Lord MAHON supportod the resolution. • After an alle reply from Lord PALAERSTONE, nod a few observations from" Mr. BANKES, the questfon was put, and the resolution carried in the affirma tive.. The other resolutions being unanimously Agreed to, the House resumed, and the Report was brought up, and ordered to be received this day. WAYS AND MEANS. The House having resolved into a Committee of Ways and Means, voted • the War and ,-Property Taxes for the current year.—Report brought up, and ordered, w be received this day. • Adjourned at half-past Two. MAILS. r ARRIVED-1 Dubin, 2 Waterford, OUL-2 Gottenburgh, I Cadiz, r Waterford. PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT TWiLVE O'CLOCK. CC:41 . 501S - - - 671 J Rect.Ann. - 65 TH - E S UN. SOLEM QUIS AICZRE FALSUNI AUDE.AT • L 0 N D 0 IV, TUESDAY, F l ifilitlAßY 27,,1810. No further official accounts lave been received from Spain, but reports have reached this country of. a favourable nature. - It stated that a - Vessel, the Heekr, has arrived at Liverpool from Tarragona, the Captain _of which reports, that the i''rench had.sustained a severe &feat in Catalonia, and that it was generally, believed that the Spaniards had taken ISarcelona. We give this report as it reached us, but we confesS we. do not attach much credit to the - la. ter part of it. Letters from Lisbon state, that the British troops that sailed' for Cadiz, amounted to 2500, besides a Portuguese regiment., A vessel: has arrived from Caen, the Master of which . reports, that the rejoicings which have recently taken place in France, were in conseqfiepce of the .French hiving entered Cadiz, l and driven -away the English squadron. hero the enc. lold lonel_ * a of o t of War • 3 ac. • state ord) , I and - • nellr. ;eiDg L ent; been a 63. fr 0 11 ..Per con" ; o r of iuced NAVAL N., I!: W s: MAT.; Ftp. 26.---Thc tuentiohed yes terday turns out to be the. ilfqd t,.of 14 vni and 46 men, fram Fecamp. C nue d0...49 trom ifie Rivera few outward-bound vesielS,'and temain.f. PoitTsmotqa., FEB. fi6.:—;-.L'Aigle frigate takes conyoy. 1.0 the West Indies ;. L'Africaine frigate to the katit Indies; . and the Siirmalt!n to the Downs.- As 6:9'gre4 a clawour has he.en. raised by a 'Party wh6 have no `objet buy the eleva. ion of themselves tO power, respecting Sinecure Places,- Pensions, &c. and as this clamour may haye nude an unfavourable ithpresNion upon many well-disposed people ; we deem it our duty'to submit the :following Extra& • from a Pamphlet iccently presented to the Public. by Mr. ROSE, a *Geadethan whose information is al ways drawn froth authentic sources, and whote corn 7 munications'are invariably marked by accuracy as well as diligent research,: " The •:;vhole revenue of Great Britain is more than 60,000,0001. a-year ; /he charge on which, of 242,0001. for pensions and sinecure emplo)inents at 'home and abroad,' is ,between three farthings and one penny in the pound. . By the extinetion, there fore, of all sinecures and pensions, ,a. person paying taxes to the amount of .501. ii•-year.would save about 48. Such a saving, we are far from thinking, ghoul& be treated as trifling or insignificant ; it would ill be cotne the author to do so : the other hand, hpw infinitely short woidd this "fall of the expedation that has been held out. '• • . " But if from the total sum received from sine cure "places ant pensions, dedutlions were made 'of such as have been given as rewards for public ser vices, the amount would be very gre,tly reduced; pensions to foreign rninistep p, in rticular, whose appointnienra are hardly, in - any instance, sufficient for their maintenance. . , The pension list also -contains provisiOn for the branches of noble and respecilble fonilies fallen into decay; this is, however, an exertion of national ga nerosity, if not of justice, which the most scrupulous economist will hardly consider as improper,. Some thing Most Certainly be elloWed for mere favour ; but when the instaric are clearly irriprov.x (and it is not meant to contend there are no such), they ;ire • at leasi open to public animadVersion ; as they' are now'tegnlarly laid before Parliginent, and printed from time to time, which certainly affords at consi derable, if not 'an effectual chealagainif abuse. • It we look to official Mt:vines, it- will be found they are, - in most cases, barely - equal . to The mode , rate, and even the necessary expenses of the par: ties . ; - in .many- instances they ar .adually insuffi cient for these. May .we not then venture to ask, whether it .is reasonable, or whether it would be politic:. that such persons should, after spending ki great part of their lines with industry, zeal, and fi delity,-in the discharge.or trusts• and public tidies,. be lett 'afterwards without reward of any sort, and their families entirely witboni pro Vision ? • - -It would invdly he wise, on reflection, to esta blish a principle would have a tendency at least to - exclude from the sere ice of their country TIM , / likely, to- be :useful 'to it. Great numbers of those who engage in trade and manufacture (shun whom none are held in higher , eatirbation by the author), or who enter into vajous professions, _ . quently :acquire very large for tunes, and seldom, if they have talents andperseverince.,7fail to obt2in . •• W in-, dependeheehat sarness, 'justice, or reason is there then in marking the citai - aaier of the official . man alone with disresyea, :and himself as unfit .to baVe_ reWard in •any . case, beyond an annual stipend for his labour and .services, just sufficient for his necessary current - oxpences, however •faithfully and diligently he may have discharged an important trust for a long series of 'years ? Surely it is not un wise or Unreasonable, that the public should t.%,. in. a situation, to bid to a limited extent.for tilents, in competition with ,other honourable and 'lucrative professions, and various branches of trade and Ina- nnfaEtirres► hasialways been justly held in a free emu try, and particularly in this-, to be one" of its greatest privileges, that the chiet aristocracy, as far, as relates to the management of its public concerns, shoUld at, aristocracy of talent and of virtue, as .well as of rank and property T. which principle would be de stroyed if remuneration for public services should be withheld ; and the community would be deprived of all its advantages. Not - ' only the great offices of state, but some others of most efficiency most then be Clll)fit,ed to men of hereditary wealth and inde pendence; and, with 'all. the proper respect which should be entertained for such men, it must. be al.. lowed that, for the acquisition ,and improvement o talents necessary for the higher offices; the passing occasionaily through the inferior situations, and that principle of activity . which animates men in the at taintneitt, so much More thin in, the mere poses- S'on, of. power and station, are much more favour-; able than the honours claimable by descent alone." ► An.lnqu6t.-Was held, yesterday, upon the body 1 of the Hon. Mr. EDEN, and the verdial was " Found dead in the' 'Pier Thatnes;:at, half past te o'dock; on Sunday morning, the of of February, 18 in, but how, or by wlk:it Means, no evidence thereof has come before the Jury." There is no alteration in the price of Bread. 1- A new Farce was brought forward last, night at. the Lyceum, intitled Miss. It is a 'whimsical' production, - and among other strokes at the times, : contains some pointed ridicule against the i four-in .hand Club. It was well supported by ElilArnsws and JOHNSTONE, and warmly applauded uy the audiene. It is the production of Mr. .Pocotx,..jua. the in. genious Artigt.' SELWYN V. BRIDGMAN AND . RERD• This cause, which 'came on on Saturday; was, a'f . ter . sonie able argon - tents by tilt ATTORNEY-GENE• RAL on the part of the :plaintiffs, and Mr.• GA aow fot t - Ni defendant, agreed by the Council or both bides to be referred. • - In the 'courses- of the argument • Lord ELLE.N -! OROVO4I, passed a high egconnurn on Mr. Set wytt's dbridgement of t/e • Laiv-of. Nisi Prius, in which the CoutAel oo,both_ sites_ most cordiiliy jotne . • THE INQUIRY. MINUTES OF •EVIDENCE. ELEVENTH DAY, EEL 22. yllE EARL OF, CHATHAM'S EVIDENCE.. After some preliminary questions of form, the • following were put to his Lordship : It- is stated. in yoUr Lordship's narrative that a change had taken in the original plan, is con- • sequence of the military , opinions ; ` wilt vourL9rd- . Ship state what was, the original plin ?—The original plan alluded to will' be slrewn.to the House by re.Nr j ing the opinion of Sir David Dundas and the other • General Otlicers,.which was token upon that plan,; thal was, the idea of landing at Ostend, and pro- 7 - ceeding from thence to Ant were. Had that plan met with your Lordship's apnxoba tion ?—lt 'was not particularly submitted for - Inv apprObation. ' - your-Lordship state,,by what mod,, of 'opera . tions it was intended, to-get possession of, or destroy the enemy's fleet, and the arsenals at Antwerp ? I conceive•that was intended to be tone, by lauaing such part of tire army as a not engaged in the siege of Flushing, and employed in the reduction of W;1- diem; as soon as possible at Santvliet, and to pro ceed against Antwerp according' to circumstances, which could not be distinctly kQown until our arr:v4 there, but must,- depend upon intelligence as cq-- cum -tances arose. ... Did your Lordship urtderstand, .that to carry tint plan into etfeet, it was inteneed to 'obtain posses sion of the town and the citadel. of Allwerp ?—Not absolutely; might have been attained poisibly without obtaining possession .of AntWerrand the citadel ;- but , probably could not be attained without obtaining possession of one of them, certainly. Wasit at that tithe conceived that if your Lor- ship obtained possession of the town without the citadel, you . viould be able to destroy the fleet and the arsenal at Antwerp ? : -LThai must have - pended entirely, on the'situation of the fleet and: of the arsenals at Antwerp; Is the Commktee to understand that yonr,Lord ship was sent to attack the, ars'enals and dOcks at Antwep, wiliont being . apprised of -what was their - situation ?—1 was not distinctly apprised of the situ ' ation of the ,locks, nor. cin I - know that there were,- - .:• any docks itt AlitWuip there, t•Ke a great m4ny ships. buildiug;. but I IdWaYs understood-they. k erc Wild; upon slips, and not in do - ok.- is the Committee .-to understand that your Lord ship was sent to attack tlw.- arsenals and - slips of - Antwerp without being; . apprised what was tbe4 si tuation ?—1 did not exaCtly know, nor do I'Bl'l3re- 1 hehd it.was -very material to the putpo:,e of the ['edition in what part of the town thry were, unless . they were under protettion of the guns of the citadel. Is the Comniirtee 1(1 understand that the op:nion • of'your Lordship when the army was assembled at \Batta was, thlt...thoSe ulterior objeas could not have been accomplished without the possession - ot Lill° and.Leifkenshocik, of the town of Ants erp, and of the Citadel of Antlyero—ln a great meashte it was; I ath not perfectly sure, but I believe - they. could not have been accomplished without the possessi9n of all. I_ ought to add,.that I believe, - it could not well have been done withourthe posses sion of one or two other torts that were between Lille" and Antwerp,' particelarly, 'Fort Fiederick Henry, and another battery which, I believe, was ereaed before -that time. - Your Lordship haing stated in your dispatch of the 29th of August, that Antwt-rp' was found to be in a. state. of defence very different. from what 'Lad been represented before the sailing of the Expedi tion, will your. Lordship tate in what that ditfttrence 'consisted IH-1 understood that the wer!-:s at, Ant werp bad been repairth, and were in a good state of defence; that guns were mounted on the ramparts, and that water had been let into the ditch. • From that information was your Lordship in cluded to think that. Ant werp could be taken wittiout . the operations of , a siege ?—lf that information had been true to its fullest extent, and_ if many other favourable combinations had also taken place at the same time, it is possible that it might_ have been taken without a seige. What favourable combinations does your Lord ship allude to ?—I mean particularly the absence of the greatest part of the military force, as represent ed ; I mean also, if it had been possible for the %arrtiament to have arrived in as short a time as it had been stated'to be possible at itklestination., What waa the time in which your LOrdship was taught to believe that the armament might probably have arrived at Santvliet ?—As I have stated, with a combination of all favourable circumstances, I had . understood it might arrive certainly s w%ithin 48 hours after our, making the island of Walcheren . What was the nature of the distina official opi nion from the Lords of the Admiralty, the commu nication or'which is mentioned in your Lordship's narrative?---I never saw, that opinion but once, but to the kest of my recolleaion, that opinion went prin6pally to state that there would be no difficelty in an armament of that size going up the.Scheldt, and that there would be no .difficulty in landing the . army on either side of the Scheldt; that I take to be a public paper which I Suppose is before the House with the other information. By whom was .that opinion signed ?-- 7 lt was signed, I think, by - the three Naval Loitls of the Admiralty. . The signalureof the First. Lord of the Admiralty then Was not affixed to that paper ? It was not. It wagiogiven as a professional Opinion. From that opinion, did your Lordship unleistand that the *Expedition could arrive at Santvliet within forty-eight hours after making Walcheren ?—No, certainly not; there was no - mention whatever as to time - , From whom did your Lordship obtain that opi.; nion think it -was in different communiCations that passed, I . believe, at the Secretary of State's; at which-different Officers were present. Can your Lordship state what Pikers were pre sent, and whether their opinions were given in writing.?—Their . opinions were not giyen in Writing ; I am not rerteOly sure at this mot ent - whetbq Sir ilichard Strachan w.)s there or not; but I- reijollell perfettly Sit Home•Popharn being there, and having. much conversation with 1141 a respeL•ling the time of going up the river. - . • [[Here fi)liow, a long examin;ition- relative to the opinions ` delivered by Sir David Dundas, Ueneri,l Ca'veil and Colonel ; Gordon, in their several. statements, ana the cowversatnanil 1